Cover of Darkness
by BensBlueLady
Summary: White holds Max hostage, she escapes, but then White targets her friends and rescuing them means another confrontation with White...
1. Default Chapter

Max twisted and turned until her wrists bleed and her arms ached. She had been struggling for hours to free her hands and it seemed that all her work had finally paid off. She had managed to get one hand free and was now working on the other one. A thick belt of rope had been secured tightly around her waist forcing her to stand in an upright position, another had been secured around her knees, another around her ankles and yet another (had up until now) held her bloody wrists together at her back. Her mouth was filled with the taste of grease from the dirty rag that muffled her cries and hid her obscenities. Right now she hated Ames White…This was all his doing no doubt, 'what does a girl have to do to get a break'? She wondered as she gave up her struggle with her constraints and let her head fall back and bang softly against the cold concrete pillar that she had been tied to.

He hadn't even had the decency to tie her up himself; instead he had enlisted the help of the B-group, thus of course being his trusty sidekick and partner in crime Otto. If only he was here right now and she was free, she'd sure give him a piece of her mind.

Just then a door at the back of the Warehouse (which was her prison) opened and as though her prayers had been answered in walked the man himself…. Agent Ames White.

He smiled coyly as he approached her and shook his head from side to side. 

"Well if it isn't the 'Oh so elusive 452'" 

His eyes shifted from her face to her restraints.

"Comfy"? He said mockingly

"Mmmmphhhh mmmmppphhh" Max managed through the rag as she managed to free the other hand…

"Ah what was that sorry 452…?" he asked jokingly as he tilted his head and raised his hand to his ear motioning her to speak up or repeat, two things he knew she could not possibly do.

"Mmmmmphh mmmmpphhhh mmmmmmmmmppphhhhh" Max screamed again.

White took a step closer and for the first time in all the time she had known and fought White Max felt afraid. Part of this fear was due largely to the fact that she was tied up, helpless…. as she thought of her present situation over in her head the word 'vulnerable' came to her mind.

"You know 452…" White began

"I like you a whole lot better when you can't talk…it's actually a pity that I have to kill you right now…" His eyes once again wondered but this time to her neck…. across her throat…down to her breasts….

This was enough…Max had had it, she wasn't going to waste any more time hanging around in some dingy downtown Warehouse for White to taunt…However, once again reviewing her situation the words 'drool over' had come to mind to replace 'taunt', had he really just been staring at her breasts just then? The mere though of it made her sick. She ripped her hands out of the ropes and swung them around to the front and before White had the chance to stop her she nailed him square in the jaw.

The force of her blow had caused White's jaw to dislocate….

"Bitch" he screamed as he tried to click it back into socket. By this time Max had already freed both her knees and her waist and was now working on her ankles.

Once they were done she ripped the dirty rag outta her mouth and spat a mixture of blood and spit onto the ground.

"Damn" she said to White as he rose himself from the floor, jaw once again fully intact.

"Should've saved that for your face"

She hurled herself at White, she moved like a blur, she had the speed and the will this would be the end for sure….

He ran at her and she hurled him into the pillar, his face made contact with the concrete hard but that didn't stop him, after all…. pain is only a phantom of the mind…

White turned and wiped the blood from his mouth onto his sleeve…

"This is it Ames…I'm through running…this ends tonight…. and dead or alive I'm leaving this Warehouse free"

"You know 452…" he said

"I'm glad you got rid of those restraints"

"Oh yeah"? Max said curiously

"And why is that"?

"It would have been a shame to kill a soldier without granting them that one last fight…that one last fight I will now give you… before I give you that proper soldier's death" 

He launched himself high into the air and came towards her with the force of a full blown tornado but Max was far too skilled and determined to let him win so easily, with the speed of a bullet she reached up and grabbed his legs twisting them cruelly and sending him head first into the ground. She was on him in a flash punching him hard in the face but he bettered this by grabbing her hair and slamming her face hard into the floor. For a moment things seemed blurry as she raised her head and body so that she was crouching on all fours. White was quick to act on Max's moment of weakness and he kicked her hard in the stomach, she squirmed and fell onto the ground and rolled onto her back….

_'This is it' _

_'This is how I die' _Max thought as she fought to breath.

White stood over her and placed his foot hard against her chin forcing her to turn her neck sideways…she knew that with a bit of force he could snap her neck…. something he was bound to do any second now.

For ages she awaited it…awaited hearing the disks in her neck crack as her mind faded out of all existence, but for some reason it never came and as White lifted his shoe from her face, this was it she thought, this was her chance. As the sole of his shoe departed from her face she grabbed his foot and pulled him down. Using all her remaining strength she leaped on top of him and pinned him down hard.

Her breathing became shallow as she came face to face with White…. her enemy…her nemesis, oh how long she had waited for this moment to arrive…. but now…staring into his face…. into his deep…blue…what was she thinking? Was she insane? This was White…Agent Ames White assigned to hunt her down along with the rest of her kind and assassinated them…White was bad…he was evil…but were those muscles rippling under that shirt and tensing between her thighs? She suddenly realised how silent things had got…why wasn't he saying anything? Why wasn't he making any effort to get away? Why was his face now moving as if in slow motion towards her? Why were his lips now touching hers? … Max felt her eyelids close…

The kiss, although it was stolen, White could tell that it was enjoyed and it wasn't long before her tongue knocked through his lips and visited his. He couldn't believe what was happening…so many days he had thought of this and at nights dreamed of this. Dreamed of this moment, the moment that Max would abandon reason and throw all caution to the wind…. that moment had finally arrived and despite all his endless hours of wishing and sleepless nights of dreaming she far excelled his highest hopes and wildest fantasies, she was……….she was…

She was getting up and walking away…. no…she was running away….

_'Should I go after her'?_ He thought to himself

_'Tell her I'm sorry? That I shouldn't have kissed her? That it was wrong of me to take advantage of our situation the way I…. What the hell am I thinking? That was 452…. I'm supposed to kill her…not kiss her…'_

Whites chain of thought was broken by the ringing of his cell phone, reaching down into his pants pocket he retrieved his phone and flipped back the cover

"White here" he said into the mouthpiece.

"Fenos tol brother" came the voice at the other end.

"Fenos tol" he replied in answer.

"How are things going with the recapture of X5452?" asked the voice

Just the mention of her caused images to flood Whites brain and tickles his senses…. he remembered everything…the touch of her hands…. the smell of her hair…the taste of her lips….

"Things are under control" he lied

 "Though at this time there's nothing new to report"

"Very well, I will call again" the stranger replied

The phone rang out dial tone; White replaced the cover and put the phone back in his pocket.


	2. Chapter 2

"Josh, are you kidding? He'll love it," said Alec encouragingly as he stared at Joshua's new painting 'Joshua #87'. The two had been debating for nearly an hour now about Joshua's newest piece of art, which he had been working on in secret, for the past three days. Two days prior to starting his piece, Joshua had learned from Max, that Logan's birthday was coming up, and this new information had put Joshua in a sudden state of panic over what his present to Logan would be, that was of course until Alec had suggested he do Logan a nice painting. 

"Uh, hey Josh I gotta go" said Alec looking down at his pager

"Ok bye Alec" said Joshua returning to his painting

"I'll see you later" finished Alec giving Josh a pat on the shoulder before making his way out onto the street.

It wasn't long after he had left that there came a knock on the door.

"Alec"? Said Joshua to himself as he headed over to the front door.

"Alec always forget keys" he chuckled as he took the doorknob in his paw like hand and gave it a turn.

Opening the door he found that it wasn't Alec and at first Joshua was afraid that he would scare the man off, but the man only smiled.

"Good evening sir" came a confident cheerful voice.

"Hello" answered Joshua ducking his head back behind the door to disclose half of his face.

"My name's Anderson Whitney, I'm interested in buying property in this area and was wondering if you would be so kind as to give me a few moments of your time…" the man's eyes keenly surveyed the inside of Joshua's home.

"Do you…ah...live alone sir?" he asked as he pushed past Joshua and made his way into the living room.

As soon as Joshua had shut the door and joined him, Anderson Whitney set his briefcase down on Joshua's table and popped the lid.

Joshua, who was oblivious to this, and still in shock over the fact that this man wasn't at all fazed by his dog-like appearance, decided to try his best to make this stranger feel welcome.

"Would you like some refreshments?" he asked with a smile

"Tea and coffee"?

The man withdrew the contents of his briefcase and turned to face Joshua.

"No thank you" he said as the blue blast of electricity, launched from the taser he held, hit Joshua in the chest and knocked him unconscious.

White kicked at Joshua with his shoe to make sure he was out cold.

_'Ick'_ he thought to himself, of all the transgenics he had seen, this was by far the most hideous.

He put his taser away and took out both pen and paper and began to scribble a quick note for Max. _Dear 452_ he wrote before realising his mistake and scribbling it out to begin again…._ Dear Max…._ this time he screwed the paper up and took out a new sheet_….Hello 452_ he wrote, and this time he was pleased with his choice of words…._I have your transgenic friend_…._if you ever want to see him again then you'll call this number and arrange to meet_…._and come_ _alone_…he quickly added, for a brief moment he considered ending his letter with '_love Ames' _ but after rethinking it, the words, '_kindest regards, Ames_' seemed more appropriate….at least for now. After he was done he left the note on the table and as soon as he was sure no one was watching, he hauled Joshua down the stairs and into the back of his car.

* * * 

"Joshua"!! Max called out as she entered his living room.

"Where are ya big fella"!!

_'That's strange'_ she thought to herself as she checked all the rooms then double-checked them to be sure.

'I told him to lay low, I thought he knew better than to go wandering off into the night like this, something must be up' 

Max went back into the living room and sat down. It was then that she saw the note.

_Hello 452_

_I have your transgenic friend, and if you ever want to see him again, then you'll call this number and arrange to meet._

_445769380294_

Kindest regards 

_Ames White._

Max snatched up the note and ran to the door.

_AN: I know this is a pretty short chapter, the truth is that I've been sitting on this story for a couple of months now, about 4 in fact! So give me a couple of days to get writing again and finish it off. Oh, and in response to the reviewer who said my story was like Zeke's, yeah I can kinda see how you would come to that conclusion, however, I think as the story progresses it will become more obvious that the only similarities it has to Zeke's is the coupling, and how White has Max hostage at the start. I am a huge fan of Zeke's story and hold much admiration of Zeke as a writer, and if anyone enjoys my story half as much as I enjoyed Zeke's then I'll be doing well._

_Peace out ya'll, love ya and keep reading! Cause there's plenty more to come._

_BBL_


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello" White said into the mouthpiece

"It's me" Max answered

"452" he said associating the voice with the number

"I knew you'd call"

"Yea, so what's the deal here, where do you wanna meet" Max said, trying to put as much anger and hostility into her voice as she could manage.

White glanced over at Joshua who he had tied to a chair, and then back to the dinner he was attempting to cook on the stove.

"My house in 10" he said and hung up the phone.

White carefully removed the sauce from the element, and set it to one side to cool. Then he reached open the oven and took out the tray which contained, a roasted chicken surrounded by a succulent array of vegetables. Why he had taken so much trouble to prepare this meal? White had no idea. All he knew was that Max would be here any minute, and that meant, that he had to get a move on.

As he hurried to set the plates around the table, a muffled gruffling erupted from the other room. Joshua was waking up.

More inconvenienced than alarmed, White placed down the candles he had been working into their holders, and returned to where Joshua was tied.

For a moment he just stood there, watching as Joshua writhed his hands to bloody pulps, as he tried without success, to free himself from the wire, which held him. Then, when he could take no more of this insolent creatures stupidity, White stepped up and smacked him across the face.

"That's enough" He spat.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you want Max to see you like this?" He spoke to Joshua as an angry parent would speak to their child.

A look of bewilderment and hope showed itself on Joshua's face. He sadly tossed his head to one side.

"Yes, that's right" White confirmed.

"Max will be here any moment" He smiled and seemed to stare off into oblivion.

"And I can hardly wait" He grinned maliciously and left the room.

By now, Joshua was in a right panic. He wanted so badly to be free, but unfortunately, considering his current situation, his freedom could only come at Max's…. Max's what? Joshua pondered. What exactly was White planning to do to her? Of all the horrible and twisted things, that White's name could be credited for having done, somehow, cooking dinner for his enemy and then killing them, was something Joshua felt didn't quite make sense. He could smell the delicious aroma's of the meal that White was preparing in the other room, and with Joshua's heightened senses of smell, which came only with the canine DNA brandished deep within his genome, he could pick out every ingredient. There were sweet potatoes, and exotic sauces to match; there were onions…there was pasta…_oh to be at that table!_ He thought sadly to himself.

But why was White doing this? Why? 

Although Joshua's IQ was ashamedly low, even _he _knew that he was only a pawn in White's plans for Max. Even _he _understoodthat White had abducted him only to get at Max, and to bring her here. But the one thing that Joshua couldn't understand was why? Surely whatever it was, it would not be pleasant for Max. 

Joshua began to whimper helplessly until White reappeared. In his hand he held three things, a spoon and two cans.

"Now, I didn't know which one you'd prefer, so I bought you two different kinds" White's eyes gleamed and he looked down at his watch.

Joshua wasn't sure what he was getting at…Two kinds of what?

The letters on the cans read out…._D-O-G…F-O-O-D_ but poor Joshua couldn't read!

"I've only got 3 minutes so you'd better hurry up with your decision making." White said impatiently, and when Joshua still did not answer he tore the lid of the can he held in his left hand.

"Duck liver it is then" he breathed and took a large, foul helping out and began removing Joshua's gag.

"Good choice, not exactly the choice I would have picked for myself you understand, but then…"

"Hey" he cursed angrily as Joshua gagged on the jellied curd and spat it back out.

"Eat up" He ordered harshly and forced the food down his throat, even holding his nostrils firmly closed, till he swallowed it.

It tasted so awful that tears sprang from Joshua's eyes. Already he was dreading that other spoon that White was already filling for him.

White buzzed the spoon around like an airplane and cruelly shoved it inside Joshua's mouth.

"Come on boy! Eat up" He urged encouragingly, as Joshua wretched again, and again.

"Time's a wasting"

* * *

Max increased her pace to a brisk walk, as she neared the corner to White's street. Her mind was such a hive of thoughts that she felt almost giddy and faint. Although she knew that she was crazy to have come, and that walking into his house would probably be the last journey that she ever took, but she had to free Joshua. Against her better judgement she had opted not to inform Alec and Logan about this, and had instead, come alone and in secret. The more people involved, the harder it would be. She just wanted to get in there, get Joshua and then…and then…

The memory of White's lips, pressed lightly against hers in a tender kiss, came back to her and suddenly, Max was afraid. More afraid than ever before, what exactly was White planning for her tonight? Why had he kissed her back in the warehouse? Why had she let him? Why had she left? But Max already knew the answer to the last two questions. She had let him kiss her because she had wanted him to kiss her, and she had left because she had liked it.

Goosebumps flared across her exposed flesh and Max wrapped her arms around herself tightly. She wished that she had worn her jacket instead of this singlet. She quickly adjusted her metabolism to fight against the cold, being an X5; this technique was always at her disposal, but still she felt chilled and nervous. She hesitantly approached White's front door and raised her hand to the buzzer.

Wait! What the hell am I thinking? She stopped herself. 

Here she was, walking into an obvious trap at the house of her arch nemesis and she was about to announce her arrival by ringing the buzzer? How stupid. She ducked away from the door and into the shadows of the bushes; she'd have to find another entrance.

* * *

"Your friend's late" White snarled at Joshua, after he had finished feeding.

Joshua growled back and for it he received another hit in the snout.

"Where is she!"? White roared and kicked the chair Joshua was sitting on, to the floor.

"I was so sure this would work! That she would come!" He looked down at Joshua.

"But I guess she doesn't care about you after all. Hell why would she ever care for such a disgusting creature as you anyway. She doesn't care for m…" White stopped himself abruptly and sat down on the floor beside Joshua.

He took a breath and rolled back a corner of the mat.

From where he lay, Joshua could see what was underneath that mat, what was underneath the loose floor boards that White was now lifting and reaching into, and as the collection of knives, tasers and other torturous weapons were removed and scattered on the floor, Joshua began to scream.

AN: Sorry to the readers that love Joshua and think he's a really cool and funny character, because I do not share your beliefs. In fact I really hate Joshua with a passion and this chapter was especially fun for me to write J tehe!


	4. Chapter 4

As Joshua's tortured screams were picked up by the wind, and carried to her ears, Max knew she had to hurry. 

Abandoning her struggle to jimmy an upstairs window, she leapt from the roof and kicked in the back door.

* * *

White bolted at the sound, and his intentions towards Joshua fell away.

It was Max it had to be her! She had come after all. He flexed his fingers and cracked his neck to loosen the tension, and strode down the hall to find her.

* * *

Using her memory of the house from her previous visit with Logan, Max took her bearings and soon found the lounge. A couple of items of furniture had been smashed and kicked into the hall, but where was White? Just then, Max saw Joshua, chair upturned, and face, sprawled on the ground.

Her first instincts told her he was surely dead, and that she had come for nothing, but a struggled whimper told her differently.

"Joshua?" She called uncertainly, and hurried to his side.

She knelt down beside him and felt for a pulse.

It was faint, but there, Joshua was still alive!

"Thank god" She breathed, as she took him by the shoulders and lifted the chair back into an upright position. She then, released his bonds and attended to rouse him.

What she saw, as she brushed Joshua's fur from his face, was a sight she knew she'd never forget. Across his throat, were a series of gashes, not deep enough to be serious, but horrible nonetheless. His cheeks and jaw were covered in bruises, and one of his eyes bore the look of a wasp sting, with its swelling.

"You're late" A calm and dejected voice, spoke from behind.

"How could you!?" Max screamed, turning to face the man who had done this to her friend. The only man in the world worthy of her hatred more than Donald Lydecker -Agent Ames White.

"I thought you weren't coming" He shrugged, almost apologetically.

"I got bored" 

"You bastard" Max said bitterly.

"Max, I-" He began, but Max didn't let him finish.

In a flash, she had torn across the room and taken his neck between her hands, in a death lock.

White struggled for a while, before unleashing his true fury, and twisted her arm from his neck and back slapped her across her face.

As soon as he had done it, he had cursed himself for it. The blow had been harder than he had intended, and he hoped she wouldn't be left with a bruise.

No time left to wonder though, Max had already recovered and was now retaliating against him, with a combination of attacks.

White fought back, of course, but after a couple of minutes, he realised that he wasn't playing the offensive, and instead of fighting back, he was merely blocking her blows and feigning his own comebacks.

White was not the only one to notice this.

_Why is he playing with me like this? _Max wondered, though not entirely complaining.

He's stronger than this, he could have had me by now.

Despite her thoughts, she continued to drive the attack.

* * *

From where Max had left him, Joshua had a clear vantage of the fight. He desperately wanted to help her, as he could see that White was merely playing with her. Weakening her down, driving out her energy so that when the time came, he would be able to squat her like a fly. Or at least, that's what it looked like to Joshua.

He wrestled with his leg bonds, which Max, in her hurry, had forgotten about, and soon he was free.

He was however severely weakened, so he decided to collect himself for a couple of minutes and regather his strength for that crucial moment, when Max would need him the most.

* * *

Seeing Joshua free himself, sent waves of anxiety crashing through Max. It was clear that he intended to help her, but in his current state, he would be no match for a familiar child, much less White himself. Hell, even she! The _chose_n one seemed to be no match for him. The guy appeared to be unstoppable, and that last kick that she had delivered to him, hadn't slowed him down in the slightest. She flipped in the air and directed the full weight of her body into White, body slam fashion. Finally, he was on the floor, now was her chance to save Joshua.

"Joshua run!" She screamed to him, but he just stood there, a look of undecidedness etched on his doggie face.

"Josh-" 

White returned from the blow and threw her off of him. 

They now stood a metre apart, both breathing like bulls and trembling with adrenaline.

"Joshua, leave now" Max repeated, not moving her eyes from White for a second.

"Do what she says…Joshua" White said, pausing to mock his name.

"Max…I" Joshua started up again.

"Do as I say Damnit!" 

This time Max did not merely shout out her orders, but she fuelled her voice with such resentment and rage, that Joshua was happy that White was his enemy and not Max herself!

Joshua sprinted out the door, if he had had a tail, he was sure it would be tightly between his legs. In fact, he was so hurt and embarrassed, that the thought of going to Logan or Alec on Max's behalf, hadn't even crossed his mind.

* * *

Now that she was alone with White, fear crept into Max's heart once more. The way his eyes travelled up and down her body, they way his chest heaved from exertion, that hungry, primal look he now possessed, which was seemingly reflected from his soul and brought alive by his eyes. What did a man like this? A sadistic devil such as he, possibly want of her?

Ahhh but she already knew that, for it was the same thing that she wanted from him, and as White closed the space between them, and plastered her, like wallpaper, to his wall, one thought played over and over in her mind.

Maybe we aren't as different as I once thought…White and me… 

His head tilted to the side, as he studied her reactions with his eyes. That was another thing about eyes like White's, the eyes of a madman, they had a way of searching right into the very core of another, where they'd then continue their search relentlessly, until they found what they were looking for. And what were they looking for? That tiny piece of darkness that exists inside us all, and once they found it, they'd flow to it and feed off it, growing stronger with each hint of desire you threw out to them.

Well, Max wouldn't let him win so easily. That wasn't fair, and she was by no means a quitter.

She violently threw her head to the side, and cast her eyes to the floor.

But White only smiled, and brought her back to face him, gently persuading, with his fingers.

Again he searched her eyes, her innermost secrets, and once again he found her darkness, and this time he acted on it.

He breathed the air between them, it was as though he could smell her desire for him, and then, with no further a due, he replaced the gap with his lips.

At first she resisted…but he was determined on making it hard for her, no sooner had she broken the kiss, did his hands began to wander across her, assaulting her with tender touches. With one hand, he lifted the bottom of her singlet, and walked his fingers, one step at a time, up to her breasts. The other hand journeyed south, and upon arriving at it's destination, Max felt her face flush with want. She felt so cheap, how could she be enjoying this? For what he had done to Joshua, something that came so naturally to him, and for what he enjoyed so unashamedly, Max knew she should hate him. She knew that a man like White deserved nothing better than death, and that in killing him, she'd be doing both the world and White himself, a huge favour. But as she stood there, locked tightly between the wall and his strong, powerful, masculine body, as hard as she tried, she couldn't. She wanted him, and denying it any longer was pointless, she couldn't prolong the inevitable, and she wouldn't hold back her feelings for White any longer. His second attempt to kiss her was met with equal enthusiasm on her part, and because of this, he savoured her lips like a starving man would savour water in a desert. She pressed into his groin firmly, and instantly felt the stirring of an erection in her pelvis.

How could she be doing this? Even thinking this? White was her sworn enemy, but could he also be her lover?

Now genuinely aroused, and feeling short-changed and unsatisfied with the foreplay, Max gave up the fight. Resistance was futile anyway.

_AN: That's all for now kids, Yeah I know I have a cruel streak in me, and always seem to leave you hanging out for the good parts, lol, well, I'm just trying to keep things interesting, and have you all coming back for more!_

_BBL_


End file.
